


Lost and Found

by Drogna



Series: Logic of All My Dreams [1]
Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow - Fandom
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, RipFic, RipWeek 2020, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-29
Updated: 2020-06-29
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:06:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,773
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24986536
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drogna/pseuds/Drogna
Summary: Booster Gold met Rip Hunter several times over the years, which made sense with them both being time travellers. Rip always had secrets, but Booster had no idea that those secrets were about him.
Relationships: Rip Hunter & Booster Gold
Series: Logic of All My Dreams [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1808659
Comments: 7
Kudos: 21





	Lost and Found

**Author's Note:**

> This fic draws on various depictions of Booster Gold taking bits from the comics, Justice League Unlimited, Justice League Action and there's even a bit of Smallville in there too. I tend to imagine that his suit looks more like the Smallville version than the comic book version in real life.
> 
> This is a prequel to my fic "The Logic of All My Dreams", which also features Booster Gold.

*

Booster would always remember the day he ran into a man in a brown duster with a revolver who called himself Rip Hunter. It wasn’t just because of what he later learned about him, but more the way that Rip entered his life, as if he belonged there.

Booster had been fighting for his life in an alleyway against a group of androids who called themselves the Nuclear Family. Just as he seemed to be losing, Rip had appeared and started shooting, taking out several of his foes. The odds had turned and it wasn’t hard to deal with the remaining androids after that.

When Rip and Booster stood with only bodies at their feet, both breathing hard from the exertion, Booster turned to his unexpected ally and asked the question that had been on his mind from the start of the fight.

“Thanks for the assist, but who the hell are you?” asked Booster.

“The name’s Rip Hunter, I’m a Time Master and I need your help,” said Rip.

“A Time Master?” asked Booster. “What’s that?”

“We keep the timeline safe from interference and make discreet alterations if required,” said Rip. “Something is quite wrong here. You weren’t supposed to face the Nuclear Family at this point.”

“I wasn’t?” asked Booster.

“No, they’re supposed to be in Bludhaven at the moment, but someone has been altering the course of history,” said Rip.

“It wasn’t me!” said Booster.

Rip gave a slight smile at that.

“No, I realise that. This time,” he replied. “Your antics actually become part of the established timeline, and the Time Masters are not usually concerned about your use of time travel. However, it appears that someone doesn’t like you very much.”

“Nothing new there,” replied Booster. “But my guess would be the Director. He’s been out to get me for a while.”

Rip nodded.

“Yes, that makes sense, but it also suggests that he has somehow gained access to some technology that he shouldn’t have,” said Rip. “Wait a minute. Where’s Skeets?”

“Skeets? How do you know about Skeets?”

“I’m a time traveller,” said Rip. “To me your life is just a few pages in a history book. So where is your companion?”

“Oh, I had to drop him off at Kord Industries. He’s developed a glitch. I’m not sure what’s up with him,” said Booster. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Rip’s eyes were widening with realisation.

“Bloody hell, someone hacked Skeets. He’s an AI with access to a considerable amount of information about the future. That’s how they’re doing this,” said Rip.

“Someone hacked Skeets? That shouldn’t be possible. He’s future tech,” said Booster.

“There is always a way, Mr Carter,” said Rip. “I think we should go and see Mr Kord.”

“Okay,” said Booster. “If you think that’s it.”

“I do,” said Rip.

The two of them set off to Kord Industries and Booster introduced Rip to Dr Jack Soo, the latest technical genius that Ted had hired. He’d previously worked for STAR Labs until the particle accelerator explosion had meant that company had laid off the majority of its staff.

“It is theoretically possible,” said the young scientist. “But it would probably mean using your biometrics. Skeets is coded to you, Booster.”

Booster frowned.

“Okay, what would it take to fake that?” asked Booster.

Jack thought about it for a moment.

“I suppose they’re need a sample of your DNA, maybe your retina print and voice?” suggested Jack.

Booster considered that for a moment, and as he stood there, it came to him. A new security system had recently been installed at Goldstar Inc. which included a retina scanner for his office. His company’s operations manager had been very insistent.

“What is it?” asked Rip. “You worked something out.”

“Dirk…” said Booster.

“Dirk?” asked Rip.

“Dirk Davis, my company’s operations manager,” said Booster.

“Ah, I think I know what happened,” said Rip. “I believe Mr Davis has a daughter?”

“Yeah, Sarah,” said Booster, wondering how Rip would know such a small detail. “She’s a cute little thing. She’s away at camp.”

“Really? Camp at this time of year?” asked Rip, clearly not buying that explanation.

“Okay, if she’s not at camp then where is she?” asked Booster.

“My educated guess would be that the Director arranged for her to be abducted,” said Rip. “He then manipulated Mr Davis into helping him in exchange for his daughter’s safe return. I doubt he expected to gain quite the wealth of information that he did from the exchange, but he obviously wanted to kill you.”

Booster nodded in agreement.

“We should probably go and rescue her,” said Booster. “I’ll need to destroy the biometric info that they have on me.”

“Yes. Do we have any idea where they might be holding her?” asked Rip.

“I know of a few locations where they have hideouts but I don’t know how we narrow it down,” said Booster.

“I think I can help there,” said Jack. “If they’re remotely hacking into Skeets then there should be a signal, and I can track that.”

“Fantastic idea, Dr Soo,” said Rip. “Please proceed. We can then surveil the building in question to check that it is indeed the correct one.”

Jack moved to a bank of computers and typed away for a moment, ignoring Booster and Rip while he concentrated.

“Okay, I’ve got it,” said Jack, he grabbed a pen and copied down an address. “And now I know why Skeets is acting up, I should have a better chance of fixing him.”

The two men made their way across town to the location where Sarah was being held by members of the 1000. They watched the building for a while, checking that their information wasn’t incorrect and seeing what the opposition looked like.

Rip took out his revolver and checked it over.

“I think I can probably manage this alone,” said Rip. “You’re not really supposed to be here.”

Booster chuckled.

“Look, if you think that I’m going to leave this to you when they’ve got Dirk’s kid in there, well, you’ve got another think coming,” said Booster.

Rip looked at him for a moment.

“Actually, your reputation suggested to me that was exactly what you would do unless there were television cameras present,” said Rip.

“Hey! That’s not fair,” said Booster. “I’m heroic even when the cameras aren’t on. Sometimes. And like I said, Sarah’s a cute kid.”

Rip looked a bit bemused by that.

“Very well, together then,” said Rip. “We’ll go on my signal. Our top priority is the girl, but if we can find the biometric data they took then we’ll destroy it. Agreed?”

“Yeah, sure,” said Booster.

Rip and Booster stealthily snuck up to the building. Rip made eye contact, silently counting down before he shouted “go” and kicked down the door in front of them. Rip’s laser fire took down several of the men who rushed to attack them, and it wasn’t hard for Booster to deal with the others by making use of his augmented suit technology.

They found Sarah in a back room, tied up and looking scared, but the only damage were a few rope burns. Rip took a knife out from his boot and cut her free.

“Everything is going to be fine,” said Rip, “we’re going to get you out of here.”

“Yeah, we got the bad guys, honey. Your Dad is going to be really pleased to see you,” said Booster, striking a pose.

That was when he felt something thud into his back, Sarah screamed and there was the sound of Rip’s laser gun firing. It hurt. Whatever had hit him had sent him flying forwards and now he was in too much pain to move. He was also having increasing amounts of difficulty drawing oxygen into his chest. He wanted to roll onto his side but Rip was calling his name. He groaned in response.

“Gideon, I need the Waverider at my location, now!”

Everything went black shortly after that, and when Booster awoke, he had no idea how much time had passed. He blinked his blue eyes open and found that he was in a grey room, lying on a couch. He took a deep breath and felt a twinge in his back, which brought back the memory of something hitting him from behind while rescuing Sarah. Other than that, he was stiff, but he wasn’t in pain.

He tried to push himself up and found that his wrist had a strange metal bracelet around it that was connected by tubes to a unit behind him. He felt a little woozy and had to put a hand on the arm rest to steady himself.

“I’d stay put for a little longer if I was you,” said a familiar British accent.

Booster gave up any attempts to move and settled back against the couch. He turned his head to see Rip standing in the doorway of the room, arms folded over his chest.

“Where am I?” asked Booster.

“This is the Waverider,” said Rip. “My timeship.”

“What happened? Where’s Sarah?”

“She’s safely back with her father,” replied Rip. “You got a knife in the back. I’m afraid not all of the Director’s henchmen were quite as dead as we thought. Gideon has dealt with the wound and has also mended your suit. She mentioned that you didn’t seem to be using all of the available features, so she has also upgraded it for you. I think it should be impervious to thrown knives now.”

“Who’s Gideon?” asked Booster, finding it hard to take everything in.

“My ship’s AI,” said Rip, with a slightly fond upturn of his lips.

“Hello, Mr Carter,” said a female voice. “I am Gideon. It is good to meet you.”

“You too, Gideon. How long have I been here?”

“A few hours,” said Rip. “I dropped you off here and then took Sarah back to her father. I’ve sworn her to secrecy on the matter of the existence of timeships, but hopefully no one will believe her anyway. She has been through quite the ordeal, after all.”

“You healed a knife wound in a few hours,” said Booster, a little in awe.

“Future technology has its advantages,” said Rip. “Gideon is just reducing the medication and then you should feel almost back to normal. It’s best to leave the body to do the last of the healing naturally, it’s less taxing to the body that way.”

Booster nodded. He remembered some of that from his days as a football player. Injuries were usually started healing with the cell regenerator but then left to heal naturally after that.

“You gave me something of a scare,” said Rip. “I should have checked the room more thoroughly.”

Booster just looked at him with puzzlement.

“Are you saying it was your fault that I got a knife in the back?” asked Booster.

Rip just nodded.

“I was the one standing there, not paying proper attention. Hey, better in my back than Sarah’s front, right?” said Booster, with a grin. “Cut yourself some slack, Rip.”

“I came here to make sure you didn’t die in that alleyway I found you in,” said Rip. “I very nearly let you get killed rescuing Sarah instead.”

“Not your fault, I promise you. This stuff happens to me all the time,” said Booster.

“Yes, well maybe now you have the upgraded suit it will happen less,” said Rip. “And to ensure you will have back up if you need it, I’m giving you a temporal communicator. You can use it to contact the Waverider whenever you need me.”

Rip handed Booster a small metal device about the size of a matchbox with three narrow, parallel slots on its front, probably for a microphone.

“It’s coded to your voiceprint only,” said Rip. “Don’t abuse it. I am not a get out of jail free card.”

“Okay, but I haven’t actually ever been arrested. Yet,” said Booster, grinning as he tucked the device away.

“I dealt with the biometric data and Gideon has ensured that Skeets is back to his usual self,” said Rip, ignoring Booster’s irreverence. “You should rest for a few more hours before you go back to Metropolis.”

Booster got a bit more comfortable on the couch.

“Hey, Rip, this is all appreciated, you know,” said Booster. “Couldn’t have rescued Sarah without you.”

Rip inclined his head in acknowledgement, and then swept out of the room to leave him to his rest.

***

Booster took Rip’s instructions to only use the call device for emergencies seriously. It took Mordru rampaging his way across Metropolis before he decided that the emergency was big enough that he needed help. Even then, it was one specific incident that meant he called.

The entire Justice League had been called in to deal with the crisis, but Booster had been put on crowd control by Batman so that he was away from the main action. Most of the League considered him to be something of a liability. Admittedly the fact that Booster was doing his best to run his heroing as a business might have something to do with that. He just didn’t see why he couldn’t make a few bucks out of his celebrity status, and he needed the money to help his mother.

He genuinely wanted to help though, and to be taken more seriously by the League, so here he was on the ground trying to keep civilians safe while the rest of the League dealt with the main threat. Skeets hovered at his shoulder, giving helpful advice on how best to deal with the magical blasts that were causing so much trouble.

Booster found himself run ragged, literally putting out fires one moment and delivering a baby the next. He heard an explosion and turned around to see a fire had started at the local STAR Labs building. He dashed inside and spotted a red headed woman unconscious on the ground.

“She is still alive,” said Skeets.

The woman opened her eyes as Booster got to her and he helped her to get to her feet. She seemed pretty tough.

“Hi there! I’m Booster Gold,” he said.

“You’re who?” asked the woman.

“Booster Gold,” he replied.

“Dr Tracy Simmons of STAR Labs,” she replied, a little dazed, but definitely coming back to herself rapidly.

“What happened here?” asked Booster.

Tracy seemed to take in the lab and its general level of destruction.

“Oh no, the fire damaged the containment field,” said the woman, as she stumbled towards a series of smoking computer banks. “We were working on an antimatter experiment and trying to shut it down safely so that we could evacuate when the lab was hit. It’s a new energy source and if it goes critical then it could destroy the world.”

“There doesn’t look like there’s anything there,” said Booster, stepping up beside Tracy.

“It’s not here. Dr Brown was caught in the explosion and it somehow bonded itself to him,” replied the doctor.

“Okay, this is right up my alley. I’ll just call it into the Watch Tower,” said Booster. “If this is world ending then we could maybe use some backup.”

He called J’onn Jonz in the Watch Tower and received the reply that everyone was busy. It looked like he was on his own. Maybe it was time he used his get out of jail free card. He pulled out the small device that Rip had given him.

“Booster Gold to Waverider,” he said.

“This is the Waverider,” replied Gideon. “How can I help you, Mr Carter?”

“I’m in Metropolis and there’s this scientist, Dr Simmons of STAR Labs who is working on…something. Mordru’s attack meant her lab was damaged and we’re chasing a man… a man with really dangerous energy source bonded to him,” said Booster.

“I am familiar with the incident,” said Gideon. “Captain Hunter will be with you momentarily.”

“Thanks Gideon,” said Booster, and put the communicator back in his pocket.

“Okay, reinforcements are on the way,” said Booster. “How do we stop this?”

Tracy had been working on something while he made his calls and now she held up a gold coloured metal circle, about an inch tall and a few inches across. It had a catch and a hinge, obviously hastily attached.

“We need to get this collar around his neck. It should stop the reaction,” said Tracy.

The two of them headed out onto the street, looking for Dr Brown and Booster was very glad to see Rip walking towards them, his gun drawn. He shot down a few magic bird-like creatures who Mordru seemed to be controlling in waves. They were fearsome creatures that reminded Booster more of pterodactyls than modern birds and had dangerous looking teeth and claws. They had been swooping at the members of the Justice League all day.

“Booster,” said Rip. “And I assume that this is Dr Simmons?”

“Yeah, we’re looking for a guy who got bonded with a black hole,” said Booster.

“I’m familiar with Dr Simmons’ work,” said Rip. “Perhaps we should split up. We’d cover more ground that way.”

“Good idea,” said Booster.

Three of them were about to move off in different directions, when Rip pulled him to one side.

“Booster, it’s vital to the timeline that Dr Simmons survives this,” said Rip.

Booster glanced over at Tracy. She didn’t look particularly special in any way, although she was definitely good looking.

“Really? Okay, I’ll keep that in mind,” replied Booster.

The two men split up and began searching. It was only a few moments later that Rip shouted out that he’d found Dr Brown. He had a shining aura surrounding him and a dark black hole in his chest. Booster was going to go ahead and assume that was the missing energy source.

“Okay, give me the collar and take cover. I’ll deal with this,” said Booster.

He was secretly thinking that this was going to be a milk run and then the lovely Dr Simmons would be swooning in his arms. She’d probably even give a few television interviews extolling his virtues.

His thoughts were disturbed by one of the magical birds dive bombing them just as Booster closed his hand around the collar and they all ducked behind a parked car as Rip fired his gun at them. Perhaps this wasn’t going to be so easy.

“New plan,” said Rip. “I’ll give you covering fire while you put the collar on Dr Brown.”

“Okay, this’ll be just like a run to the end zone,” said Booster, jumping up and down on his toes to limber up.

He gave Rip a nod and set off at top speed, just as Dr Brown turned a little and the black hole on his chest sucked at the foundations sufficiently to bring it crumbling down on the car that Rip and Tracy were hiding behind. Tracy was sent diving one way and Rip the other, with Tracy ending up right in the path of the suction of the black hole. She was dragged off her feet and only just managed to grab hold of a lamp post to save herself from being sucked in.

“Help!” she shouted.

Booster knew he had to save her or her strength would fail quickly. He activated his flight ring and flew back towards her. Rip continued to give covering fire, deflecting objects blown about by the wind and despatching the magical pterodactyl birds as they took the confusion as another opportunity to dive bomb the party.

More buildings were being brought down by the suction, and when Booster reached Tracy there was very little stable ground left to stand on. He was fighting against being pulled back into the black hole as he flew, with Tracy in his arms and took her back down the street well away from the area of destruction.

“I can’t do this!” Booster shouted over the wind. “I can’t get close enough.”

“Yes, you can. You have to,” said Tracy.

“Tracy, I'm a fraud. You know why I came back to the past? It wasn't to fight for justice, it was to get rich, be famous. I was a failure in the future just like I am here. I'm not a superhero.”

“Everything is about to be destroyed forever!” said Tracy, shouting to be heard. “The other superheroes aren’t here. It’s up to you.”

“Booster! She’s right,” shouted Rip. “You’re the only one who can do this. I can’t deal with the birds and put the collar on.”

They _were_ right, he realised. He was the only one who could do this, because he was the only one with the enhanced suit that meant he wouldn’t be hurt if a piece of debris blew into him. He gripped the collar again and ran for it. He dodged falling masonry and tried to imagine that he was back on the football field, dodging the opposition. If he didn’t think too hard about this, how dangerous this was, then he could do it.

He reached Dr Brown and felt himself being sucked forwards. He just managed to snap the collar around the scientist’s neck before he was sucked into the black hole himself. The affect was instantaneous. The black hole narrowed and then disappeared.

Booster turned around to check that both Tracy and Rip was unharmed. Rip was picking himself up from the road and dusting himself off. Tracy was leaning against a wall but also straightening up.

“Are you okay?” Booster asked, jogging up to the woman.

“Yes. Are you?” asked Tracy.

“I’m fine,” he said, grinning.

“That was some pretty good superheroing,” said Tracy.

“All in a day’s work,” replied Booster. “Well, I guess I’ll see you around.”

Booster Gold turned and walked away, and Rip fell into step beside him. The streets were strewn with rubble dislodged from the buildings around them.

“You’re wrong, you know,” said Rip.

“About what? I’m wrong about a lot of things,” said Booster, in a resigned tone.

“What you said to Dr Simmons,” said Rip. “You’re wrong.”

“How do you work that one out?” asked Booster.

“You’re not a failure. You just saved the world,” said Rip.

“You helped,” said Booster, dejectedly. “I couldn’t have done it without you.”

Skeets was flying along behind them at a reasonable distance, probably trying to give them a bit of a perception of privacy. As a robot from the future, Skeets had very sensitive listening equipment.

“All I did was hold off some magically created creatures to allow you to do what was required,” said Rip. “You stopped Metropolis being consumed by a black hole. You saved the day. The history books may not remember that, but you and Dr Simmons both know what you did.”

Booster sighed. “I suppose so.”

Rip put a hand on his shoulder.

“I have to go, but perhaps don’t be quite so hard on yourself,” said Rip.

Booster nodded, still unconvinced. Rip looked over Booster’s shoulder.

“Besides, I’m absolutely certain that Dr Simmons thinks you did a good job today,” said Rip.

Booster looked back over his shoulder, and could see Tracy there, watching him. Maybe Rip was right there. She had certainly been quite supportive.

“Not all rewards are as tangible as money,” said Rip, with a slight smile. “Until next time, Booster.”

With that Rip walked away, and Booster turned around to see Dr Simmons talking to Batman, whilst occasionally glancing in his direction. He wondered what she was saying.

***

Booster met Rip again several times over the next few years. Rip would sometimes turn up at his door and whisk him away in the Waverider to help out on a mission, or he’d end up following a lead that meant his path crossed with Booster. Very rarely, Booster made use of the call device that Rip had given him, but he was careful to only use it in situations that he genuinely needed Rip’s help.

Booster began to consider them friends and he thought that Rip did too. So much so that when Booster married Dr Simmons, and she gave birth to a son (who they named Michael Junior, after his father), Booster took the baby to the Waverider to show him off to his Uncle Rip.

The Waverider landed in the park, and Rip walked down the ramp to see Booster with the baby in his arms. Rip’s stride was usually confident, his coat flying behind him as he moved, but this time he hesitated. Booster was grinning like the new dad that he was, and Rip… he looked almost sad, or perhaps resigned. It really wasn’t the reaction that Booster had expected.

“I’m a dad!” said Booster. “I thought you should meet him since you helped me save his Mom’s life from Mordru.”

Then Rip seemed to get over whatever it was that was stopping him from smiling. He nodded.

“I did say that it was important that she survive. Congratulations to you both,” said Rip. “He looks very healthy.”

“Yes, he is,” said Booster. “Born at 10.30am on 17th June.”

Rip gasped, and looked up at Booster his eyes wide with that revelation.

“17th June?” he asked. “That was lost in the records…”

Booster frowned. That was a strange thing to say, but then Rip often said strange things.

“Would you like to hold him?” asked Booster.

Rip took a half step backwards, vigorously shaking his head.

“I think that would be an extraordinarily bad idea,” said Rip, and then seemed to realise what he’d just said. “Uh, I’m not good with babies.”

“Oh come on, don’t be such a wet blanket,” said Booster, and he transferred Michael Jr to Rip’s arms before the Time Master could say anything more.

Rip held him a little stiffly at first, but then he seemed to relax and rocked the baby like he’d done it a hundred times before.

“You’re a natural,” said Booster.

“Can you keep a secret?” asked Rip, looking down at the baby in his arms with a rather bewildered expression.

“I’ve kept a few for you,” said Booster. “You know I can.”

“I have a son only a little older than Michael,” said Rip. “Time Masters aren’t supposed to fall in love or have a family, but I consider myself very luck to have a wife and son. They are my everything, but if the Time Masters ever find out about them then I don’t know what my employers would do.”

“Maybe you should consider a change of career,” said Booster.

“I think it’s a little late for that,” said Rip. “I’ve been a Time Master since I completed my training at eighteen years of age. It’s more of a calling than a job.”

“I didn’t know that,” said Booster. “It must be tough.”

“It’s not without its challenges,” said Rip. “But I find it very rewarding and I have my family to go home to. I’ll have to introduce Jonas to his… to you. And Miranda too. I think you’d get on well. You both have something of an unconventional attitude to problem solving.”

Booster laughed at that, and Rip handed the small baby back to its father.

“Hey, I didn’t tell you his name. That means you know about him. I bet he has a great future ahead of him,” said Booster, smiling down at the little boy.

Rip hesitated and then nodded.

“He definitely has a very full life, not without its difficulties but then what life is? Make sure you enjoy every minute you have with him,” said Rip. “Thank you for letting me hold him.”

Rip stepped back.

“Until the next time we meet,” said Rip.

“Yeah, I’m taking a bit of time off, but then I’ll be back on the horse. I expect we’ll cross paths again soon enough,” said Booster.

“Absolutely,” said Rip, with an incline of his head. “And I look forwards to it.”

Booster realised later that, despite everything that Rip knew about his future, he actually genuinely meant that comment. It was just bad luck that their next interaction was not something that either of them should have looked forwards to.

***

The Waverider had landed in Metropolis again, but this time Booster stormed inside without waiting for Rip to emerge. He walked onto the bridge, grim-faced and determined.

“They took my son,” said Booster. “They took my son! And I came here to get your help.”

Rip let out a long sigh.

“I’m sorry, I can’t help you on this occasion,” said Rip, coming down the steps from the parlour.

For once he wasn’t wearing his coat, just a dark jacket over his usual grey t-shirt.

“Why not? This is my son!” said Booster, already angry. “He’s my family.”

“I know, and I still can’t help,” said Rip.

“No, I won’t accept that. Every other time, you’ve stepped in or at least given me a good reason why you can’t,” said Booster. “But this time, when it matters to me more than anything… this time, you can’t?”

“If I tell you, I could put the entire timeline in jeopardy,” said Rip.

“You’re a damn cold bastard, Rip,” said Booster.

“I’m sorry, you have no idea how sorry, but this has to happen. I wish I could explain why,” said Rip.

“The hell it does!” said Booster. “We’ve changed things before.”

“We have, but not like this,” said Rip.

“Captain, my files indicate that this may, in fact, be the optimal moment to give Mr Carter the news,” said Gideon.

Rip frowned.

“You’re sure?” asked Rip.

“Yes, Captain,” said Gideon.

Rip let out a long breath again.

“What the hell is going on, Rip?” asked Booster. “Every minute here that I waste means that they’re taking Michael further away from me.”

“I think we should sit down in the parlour,” said Rip, turning to go to the room at the back of the bridge, “and have a drink.”

Booster trailed after him, more because it seemed the only way that he was going to get any answers than because he wanted to. Rip poured him a drink anyway and handed it to him. Booster knew that Rip always had good liquor in his decanter.

“What’s going on?” asked Booster. “You’re acting like you’re dying, or maybe I am?”

Rip shook his head.

“That’s not it,” said Rip. “I’m not sure how I begin…”

He took a sip of the alcohol in his glass and then sat down in one of the leather armchairs.

“Just spit it out,” said Booster. “The suspense is killing me.”

“For a long time I thought I was an orphan…” said Rip, “but I’m not. I was just separated from my parents at a very young age. You see my birth name isn’t Rip Hunter, my real name is Michael. I’m Michael Carter Junior. I’m your son, Booster.”

Booster’s jaw dropped open and he laughed, because it couldn’t be true.

“But you’re what? Thirty? Michael is five,” said Booster, shaking his head. “You can’t be.”

“I’m a time traveller,” said Rip. “I was lost when I was five and I lived on the streets until the Time Masters found me when I was eight. I tried to steal the wallet of Time Master Druce and got rather more than I bargained for. Even then, for years, I had no idea that I was the son of Booster Gold, not until you were injured that first time we met and Gideon healed you. Her scan included a routine sequencing of your DNA, which happens to be very similar to mine. You are definitely my father.”

“That was the first time we met!” said Booster. “You’ve known all this time and you never said anything. I brought my son to show you… I brought you to show to you… oh dear god, I could have caused a paradox.”

“It was unlikely. Babies don’t have much of a timeline to cross, although if you remember I was rather reluctant to hold him, er, me,” said Rip.

“I did think that was weird,” said Booster, “especially when you mentioned that you have a family of your own.” That gave him pause for a moment. “Wait, am I a grandfather?”

“Er, yes, you are,” said Rip. “I should probably arrange that visit so that you can meet them.”

Booster downed the contents of his glass and held it out for a refill. Rip obligingly gave him a second measure of the golden liquid.

“I can’t believe this,” he said. “I can’t believe that we went on all those missions together and you didn’t even hint at it.” He stopped and looked at Rip, scanning him for the family resemblance. “You have your mother’s colouring, red hair, green eyes. My nose though.”

“It’s certainly the same shape, perhaps yours is not as prominent as mine,” said Rip.

“Okay,” said Booster, “this is actually good. You know what happened. You can tell me where to find Michael. Little Michael, I mean.”

Rip sadly shook his head.

“No, I can’t because that would alter my own personal history, and as a Time Master it would result in the erasure of every act that I’ve ever performed to correct the timeline. If you rescue my younger self then you are destroying everything that I’ve worked for as an adult,” said Rip.

“There has to be a way around this…” said Booster.

“There isn’t,” said Rip, softly and sincerely.

“But you said you were on the streets… that must have been terrible… You can’t want to go through that? We have a loving home, just waiting for you to grow up in,” said Booster.

Rip looked down at the floor.

“I don’t want it to happen, but it has to,” said Rip, clearly unable to meet Booster’s eyes.

“I’m not letting them take my son! I love him. Tracy is devastated. This is destroying her!”

“I know,” said Rip, in a small voice. “And I will introduce myself to her too now. She deserves to know that at least everything worked out.”

“Worked out? You think this is what “worked out” looks like?” Booster spat out the words, his anger building. “My child is lost in time, and apparently I never find him! You know what? Screw you and your stupid Time Masters! From now on, I’m going it alone.”

Booster smacked his glass down on the table.

“Dad! Wait!” said Rip.

Booster stopped in his tracks at the sound of Rip calling him that name.

“Don’t call me that. I am not your father. _My_ son has been kidnapped and I am going to find him,” said Booster. “I don’t know who the hell you are, but you’re not Michael Jr.”

“Please…” began Rip, but Booster cut him off.

“Unless you’re going to tell me where they took Michael, there is nothing you could possibly say right now that is going to help,” said Booster.

“I think there is. Maybe not right now, but later. You find your son,” said Rip, taking a hesitant step towards his father. “And he is proud of you.”

Booster shook his head, feeling more betrayed than he’d ever felt in his life. His own son wouldn’t help him in the most important mission he’d ever had. But even if Rip wasn’t going to help him, he still planned to look for Michael.

“Gideon,” said Booster, “I’m leaving.”

“Yes, Mr Carter,” said Gideon. “I have disengaged the door locks.”

Booster Gold didn’t turn back until he reached the door of the bridge, and then it was only a glance. Rip was slouched in a chair, glass in his hand, staring off into the distance, a dark look on his face. Booster wouldn’t go back though, he couldn’t, not when he felt the hurt so deep inside him that he thought it might rip him to shreds from his sternum out.

For the first time, he regretted his decision to start a family and settle down. It was said in the Justice League that having a family and being a superhero didn’t mix. Until now he’d proven that wrong. This wasn’t how it was supposed to be. He had so much technology at his fingertips and yet he couldn’t find his son. Rip’s existence proved that he never did, if you believed what Rip said about “time wants to happen”.

He strode off the bridge of the Waverider. He knew he had to take down the Time Pirates who had taken his son. He’d never believed that his fate was already written. This was just one of those occasions where he had to prove people wrong again.

***

It was over a year before he saw Rip again. Michael Jr had been missing that entire time. All of the Time Pirates who had been involved in the abduction were now dead. They had left Michael in the past and then come back to bargain with Booster, unfortunately that hadn’t gone well and Booster’s ongoing problems with the Director and the 1000 had tangled with the Time Pirates. A stray shot was all it took to kill the only lead he had to his son’s whereabouts.

Booster Gold grieved for the lost son that he’d never properly get to know. They’d had barely enough time together as a family. He’d thought that it might help to know that Rip was alive and well, working as a Time Master to keep the timeline safe, but it didn’t. He was grieving for the child he’d known, and it didn’t matter that the man he had become was still there. They had missed the chance to raise him, to love him and take care of him.

At least he and Tracy still had each other, and she began working with him much more closely. She even started thinking about becoming a superhero in her own right, and began work on a super suit to rival Booster’s own. He guessed that it was her way of coping with the loss of their son.

Booster hadn’t intended on seeing Rip at that point, or ever again. Their relationship was complicated to say the least.

In fact, if it hadn’t been for a chronovore deciding to turn up on Earth then it was highly likely that Booster would have continued to bury his head in the sand and ignore the existence of Rip Hunter. Instead he was confronted with a slug-like creature that seemed to be disrupting time. Skeets analysed it and declared it to be a creature that devoured time and stored it in a crystal that acted as a sort of battery or stomach. This wasn't the first time Booster had met one of these, but they seemed to vary their forms considerably.

And it was right in the middle of Star City, so Booster couldn’t exactly ignore it. It was sucking time from the surrounding area and everyone, apart from those with a temporal field, had slowed down as their ability to move through time was devoured by the chronovore. He also couldn’t beat it alone. The other chronovores he’d come up against had been much smaller than this one.

“Sir, I’m afraid that your suit’s power is being drained by the temporal distortion of the chronovore,” said Skeets, as Booster was about to attack once more.

His suit was what protected him from the chronovore devouring his own temporal field. If it was depleted then he’d revert back to the normal time stream, which had slowed to a crawl around him, or worse the chronovore would consume his personal temporal energy, he’d age and die. His electro-gloves, which usually served him well when it came to the nuisance of chronovore attacks were rapidly running out of energy. He had no idea how many hits he had left in them, and when they failed that would also be the end of the fight.

“I believe I can help,” said Rip, suddenly there beside him.

He had run onto the street from nowhere and was moving at normal speed. That meant he must be wearing some kind of temporal protective device. Booster hadn’t called him or expected him to turn up, but here he was. In fact, the more Booster thought about it, Rip tended to turn up when he needed him, even if that wasn’t when he called him.

Rip gave him a tentative look, as if he were seeking approval, and Booster gave him a nod to acknowledge that this was definitely appreciated. The Time Master aimed his revolver at the beast and fired, doing little more than making it angry it seemed. They were separated as the chronovore whipped a tentacle around and slammed it into the pavement between them.

“Stand back!” shouted Rip, and Booster knew better than to question one of Rip’s instructions, even when Rip didn’t seem to be following it himself.

Rip pulled a spherical object out of his pocket, fiddled with something on its surface and then hurled it at the chronovore. There was an explosion, and it sent both men flying backwards. Booster’s ears were ringing, but the remaining energy in his suit had protected him from the worst of it.

“Skeets?” he asked, looking around.

“I’m here, sir,” said Skeets, floating into view with a bit of a wobble to his flight.

The chronovore was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Rip.

“What just happened?” asked Booster.

“The chronovore is destroyed. I believe Captain Hunter threw a hypertime bomb at the chronovore. It gave it a terminal case of indigestion,” said Skeets.

Booster was too dazed to comment on that. It took him a moment to gather his thoughts enough to remember that Rip had been standing much closer to the chronovore than he had been. He put the palms of his hands on the concrete of the road and pushed himself up. Time was moving again and there was debris from the explosion all around him.

“Skeets, find Rip,” said Booster. “Find him now!”

He surveyed the scene of destruction as Skeets started scanning, trying to clear his vision. Then he spotted the edge of a brown coat amongst a pile of twisted railings and bricks. Booster didn’t even remember how he got to his feet, but he was running towards Rip in seconds and removing bricks and metal from on top of the body beneath.

“Rip!” he called, again and again. “Rip! Please! Say something!”

He was rewarded with a feeble groan.

“Oh thank god,” said Booster, with feeling.

He moved another rock and the initial elation dissipated. Rip was bleeding from a wound and what Booster had thought at first was just another bit of rubble to be removed was actually a piece of metal rebar that had gone straight through Rip’s abdomen. Booster swore.

“Sorry,” murmured Rip, weakly. “I’ll be out of your way soon.”

Then the idiot tried to get up, but he quickly gave that up as Booster put a hand on his chest and pushed him back down.

“Don’t move, kid,” he said, wondering where that term of endearment had come from.

“I’m older than you,” said Rip, breathily.

“I don’t care, you’re my kid and you’re hurt, so you can stay down and shut up for once,” said Booster. “Skeets, we need an ambulance.”

“No ambulances,” said Rip. “Just get me to the Waverider.”

“Rip, you’ve got a piece of metal through your stomach. I can’t move you unless I’ve got the medics standing by,” said Booster. He knew very little about first aid, but he know that trying to shift Rip without a plan would probably result in him bleeding out. “Skeets, can you scan him, tell me how bad it is?”

“I can,” said Skeets.

The golden egg-shaped bot hovered over Rip, a blue beam playing across him.

“Why’d you have to go and do something like that?” asked Booster, while he waited for Skeets to finish. “You told me to stand back. Why didn’t you listen to your own advice?”

“I didn’t have much time with your suit being drained of power. The chronovore would have killed you,” said Rip, and coughed painfully.

“The situation isn’t good,” said Skeets. “The metal bar has pierced his right kidney and he is going into shock.”

“Gideon can fix anything,” said Rip, looking up at Booster. “Just bandage it as best you can… and get me to her.”

Talking seems to hurt him, and the pause had suggested he was finding it hard to even breathe.

“Where is she?” asked Booster, gently.

“The intersection of Fifth and Elm, there’s a park…” he whispered. “Tell her “star, fast, limousine” and she’ll let you in.”

Then Rip passed out, his eyes closing with a finality that Booster really didn’t like. He needed to get Rip to the medbay on his ship and it needed to be done now. He had nothing that could be used as a bandage. His suit was too tough to be torn up. He’d just have to apply pressure to the wound and hope for the best. The only thing he really had going for him was his super strength.

“Skeets, I need you to contact Gideon, give her the code and tell her we’re incoming with Rip and he’s wounded,” said Booster.

“Yes, sir,” replied Skeets.

Booster lifted Rip as gently as he could manage, knowing that there was no way he could avoid hurting him more. At least he was unconscious, but this was definitely going to do more damage than cutting the bar, however he didn’t have time to be more careful. He pulled him up from the ground, freeing him from the metal rod that was protruding from his body and got up with him in his arms. He positioned him bridal style, not really caring if it was the best method of carrying him. It let him hug him to his body as he ran, and Booster had never been more glad for the extra strength his suit gave him.

“Which way, Skeets?” asked Booster.

“Follow me,” said the bot.

The gold robot flew off down the street and Booster set off at a run behind it. He rounded the corner to where Rip said the Waverider would be and he could see the lowered ramp, waiting for them to get on board. The rest of the ship was camouflaged and totally invisible to the naked eye.

He ran on board and took Rip straight to the medbay, where Gideon immediately began scanning, while Booster paced backwards and forwards.

“Please put the medical cuff on his wrist, Mr Carter,” said Gideon. “I will deal with his injury.”

Booster did as the AI asked and clipped the cuff around his son’s wrist. Then he took off his glasses and tried to blink the tears out his eyes. His son was injured and unconscious. He was getting treatment but Booster had no idea how good Gideon’s systems were or how serious the wound was.

“You are welcome to stay,” said Gideon. “The code which Skeets transmitted allows me to give you full access to all systems as Captain Hunter’s father.”

“Some father I’ve been,” said Booster, turning away for a moment.

“You are here,” said Gideon. “That is sufficient.”

Booster couldn’t agree with Gideon. He shouldn’t have stormed out before. It wasn’t an easy job, being a Time Master and Rip had to make hard choices sometimes. He knew that and yet he still hadn’t understood, because the choice had been personal. It had directly affected him. He’d conveniently forgotten that it also directly affected Rip.

He located a chair and brought it over to beside the couch. He sat down, heavily.

“It may be some time before Captain Hunter regains consciousness,” said Gideon. “He has sustained substantial damage to his abdomen and has a concussion. My nanobots are repairing him but this is still a lengthy process with such injuries.”

“I’m staying, Gideon,” said Booster.

“I understand. I am suggesting that perhaps you would like to wait somewhere more comfortable. I can call you when Captain Hunter’s condition has improved,” said Gideon.

“I said that I’m staying, Gideon,” said Booster, but he did eye up the other couch in the room. “Will he be okay?” he asked tentatively, not sure he wanted to know if it wasn’t good news.

“He will make a complete recovery, but this is a serious injury and healing will take time,” said Gideon.

“Skeets, contact Tracy and let her know that I’m okay,” he told his robot companion. “I may not be back tonight.”

“Yes, sir,” said Skeets.

“I’m going to have to introduce her to Rip properly. I wonder what she’ll make of him,” said Booster.

“I think she will like him,” said Skeets.

“I think so too,” said Booster, he got to his feet and made his way across to the other couch.

He lay back and to his amusement, Gideon began to scan him.

“I’m fine, Gideon,” he said.

“You have sustained deep tissue bruising, a mild concussion and have a number of minor lacerations,” said Gideon. “Please put the medical cuff on your wrist and I will also deal with your injuries.”

Booster decided that it was best not to argue with the ship that he was currently on. He put the cuff around his wrist and soon found himself drifting into sleep.

Booster felt a lot better when he awoke, but Rip was still sleeping. Gideon suggested that he should get some food from the galley, and he was hungry, so he complied. The Waverider felt rather empty without Rip’s presence, which had always seemed to make the place feel like it was lived in. He found one of Rip’s books sat on the counter of the galley with a bookmark tucked into the pages. It appeared to be a book on American Football, including analysis and tactics. Rip had underlined key sentences and made notes in the margin.

Tracy wouldn’t approve of that. She was particular about her books, as Booster had once found out when there had been an accident involving his latest suit upgrade and the bookcase. That probably wasn’t quite on the same level as writing in a margin, he realised. Rip hadn’t really shown any interest in sport when they’d met previously. Booster sat down with his meal and flicked through the book as he ate. It was a decent primer on the sport, he supposed, if you were new to it.

“Mr Carter,” said Gideon. “Captain Hunter is waking up. I suggest you finish your meal and go back to the medbay if you would like to be there when he regains consciousness.”

“Thanks, Gideon,” said Booster.

He rapidly finished up the last of the food on his plate and then jogged back to the medbay, just in time to see Rip stirring. The man on the bed murmured something.

“The ship is still in Metropolis, Captain,” said Gideon. “We are still cloaked and Mr Carter is with us.”

Rip’s eyes opened fully at that, and he turned to look at the doorway where Booster stood, looking a little awkward.

“Hey, kid,” said Booster, sounding awkward.

“Booster… er, Dad?” said Rip, and he sounded shocked, as if he hadn’t expected Booster to be there at all.

Booster stepped closer to the couch. He had more colour that he had a few hours ago but he was still pale and his voice wasn’t as strong as usual.

“Can we start over?” asked Booster, in a rush.

“Start over?” asked Rip, perplexed by the turn in the conversation.

“Yeah, from that moment where you tell me that you’re my son,” said Booster. “Give it a do over?”

“I suppose so,” said Rip, tiredly.

“Go on then,” said Booster.

Rip just looked at him.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” said Rip. “Gideon did say that I had a concussion.”

“You tell me that you’re my son and I say what I should have said, instead of… you know, what I actually said…”

“Oh,” said Rip, getting it now. “Booster, I’m Michael, your son.”

“It’s really good to have you back, Michael,” said Booster. “I could have lost you and I’d never have got to tell you how much your Mom and I love you.”

With that Booster leaned down and enveloped Rip in a hug. It was improved even more when Booster felt tentative arms wrap themselves around him too.

“I’m sorry,” said Rip, who Booster was sure was sniffling but he wasn’t going to comment on that when his own eyes weren’t exactly dry. “I wish I could have come home to you, but I didn’t even know…”

“Yeah, well the people who took you are all dead,” said Booster, “which doesn’t make it better, but at least they’re not going to try that on anyone else. I tried my hardest to find you, but they didn’t leave any tracks for me to follow.”

He felt Rip nod, and he released his hold a little, backing up so that both of them could wipe at their eyes. Rip adjusted the couch so that he could sit up a little more.

“I used to pretend that I was a lost prince,” said Rip, looking off to the side at the memory, “and that you’d find me again. I don’t remember much before the pirates dumped me, but I did remember that my father had blond hair and my mother was a redhead. You taught me to stand up for myself, so I did. I got away from the place they left me and ended up living with some other kids on the street. They taught me how to pick pockets and get by on scraps that other people threw away. It wasn’t a good life, but I suppose I was doing well enough until the final winter before the Time Masters found me… I contracted tuberculosis. It was prevalent on the streets. I was ill and having trouble running quite as fast as I had in the past. I also picked the pocket of Time Master Druce, and he saw something in me. I’m not sure what. I was a grubby street urchin and quite ill at the time.”

“So, he just took you?” asked Booster.

“The Time Masters recruit their ranks from orphans and others who won’t be missed throughout time,” said Rip. “Although I do wonder now if they knew who I was. You’re not exactly unknown to the Time Masters given your use of time travel and your subsequent antics. It doesn’t matter now anyway. I was brought up in one of the Time Masters’ homes for orphans and trained to be a Time Master. It honestly was quite a good life all things considered. The woman who raised me, my adoptive mother, is very special to me and she brought me up to be the man I am today.”

“And you have a family of your own?” asked Booster.

Rip nodded and smiled for the first time in quite a while.

“Yes, I have a wife, Miranda, and a son, Jonas. They’re currently in London in 2165. We have a house there,” said Rip. “Let me recover from my injuries and I’ll take you and Mum to see them. I’m sure they’d love to meet you.”

“Won’t that be kind of weird?” said Booster.

“No weirder than the revelation that I am your grown son, I imagine. Miranda was also a Time Master in training before she left. We’re quite used to the weirdness of time travel,” said Rip.

“You need to come and explain things to your mother too,” said Booster. “I didn’t tell her who you are yet, and I’m probably in big trouble.”

Rip chuckled.

“Nothing unusual there then,” said Rip. “Don’t worry. I think this is one that we should tackle together.”

“No more careless grenade throwing either, or disappearing for months at a time, or cryptic riddles about the future, or…” said Booster, pacing and gesticulating again.

“Dad!” said Rip. “Slow down. There are some things about the future that I can’t tell you because it would damage the timeline, and you have to understand that. Some of those things are… going to be difficult for you. I’m not a hero, like you. I do a job and I do it well, but isn’t always compatible with…being a good person.”

Booster stopped pacing and looked up at the ceiling. He’d gone from hating it when Rip called him to Dad to finding it gave him a warm feeling that he hadn’t felt since Michael had been kidnapped. However, Rip Hunter was still Rip Hunter and he was a time traveller who had a lot of secrets.

“A hero…” he repeated, somewhat amazed that Rip would call him that. “I’m a fraud. We both know that.”

“Maybe you started out that way, but you proved today that isn’t you anymore,” said Rip. “I meant it when I said that I was proud of you. I’m more concerned that you may not be proud of me.”

“Rip, I knew you before I knew you were my son. You’ve always had secrets and most of the time I’ve understood why,” said Booster. “I’d be a hypocrite if I expected you to be perfect, because I’m definitely not. And I’m not saying that I’m never going to be mad at you for something you do or a decision you make, but I’m a time traveller too. I guess we’ll muddle through like we always do.”

“I suppose I can live with that. At least we have time to work some things out. Gideon won’t let me out of medbay for a while yet,” replied Rip, with a fond smile and a glance upwards.

Booster knew that Gideon was very protective of her Captain, and Rip definitely had a special affinity with his ship. He was not going against her on this.

“Right, yeah, we do,” he said. “I have a lot to get you caught up on.”

Booster pulled up his chair and the two of them exchanged stories about their family. It might not exactly be how he’d thought about spending time with his son when he’d first held him in his arms, but Rip was his son and Booster was going to make the most of having him back. It wasn’t every day that life decided to give him something this good.

Time was theirs for now, even if another day it had been their enemy, and probably would be again.

***


End file.
